CUSP Response to CDC
In 2016, before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published its opioid prescribing guidelines, I expressed skepticism in an interview with Pain Medicine News about the guideline’s potential unintended consequences. At the time, I cautioned that the guideline, while intended to address opioid misuse, could inadvertently harm patients who rely on opioids for effective pain management. I…
Read MoreRage Against the System: Opioid Lawsuits, Trump and the UnitedHealthcare Shooting
This article, in a slightly edited form, first appeared on Pain News Network on December 12, 2024. In recent years, we’ve witnessed a collective shift in societal attitudes, where deep-seated anger and disillusionment are driving public narratives in unsettling ways. Three seemingly unrelated phenomena—the public applause for opioid lawsuit settlements,…
Read MoreThe Overlooked Source of Pain: TMJ Dysfunction and Chronic Pain Management
For over 50 years, the biopsychosocial model of pain management has been the gold standard for treating chronic pain. This holistic approach integrates biological, psychological, and social factors to provide a comprehensive treatment of pain that addresses not just the physical aspects of pain, but its emotional and social impacts as well. Yet, even within…
Read MorePresident Biden
Here is an original poem that I wrote as a tribute to President Joe Biden. With gratitude and respect, Lynn R. Webster, MD President Biden In the land of liberty, hearts intertwine, with leaders’, steadfast and fine. Joe Biden, through trials, stands tall, in sacrifice and duty, he answers the call. …
Read MoreWhat are the psychological effects of chronic pain?
This is an article by Casey Bloom. I offer it with the author’s permission for informational purposes. The author and I have no financial involvement. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE HER OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE. Chronic pain can disrupt your life both physically and psychologically. It can…
Read MoreWhy “Dopesick” Should Get an Emmy for Fiction
As entertainment, Dopesick is an achievement, but the awards should only be given if the admission is made that the Hulu series is almost entirely fictional.
Read MoreThe Malevolent Attack on Women
It distresses me to know that, while the original ORT served to help assess the risk opioids posed for individuals, it has also caused harm. Since the question about a woman’s sexual abuse history does not provide any additional benefit, there is no reason to retain it. The ORT-OUD should be used instead of the original ORT.
Read MoreCDC Revised Opioid Prescribing Guideline Falls Short of What People in Pain Need
The updated guideline contains beneficial changes. Among them, certain prescription duration limits and the upper MME dosage threshold have been removed. There is some acknowledgment that pain treatment is indeed important. Yet, the inappropriate usage of the 2016 guideline and policies created in its image to harass, prosecute and even jail clinicians must be specifically and adequately addressed. The MME threshold now in the revised version is no more scientifically sound than the ones in the previous version, and it has already been shown that dosage levels are too easily interpreted with rigidity by policymakers and payors. Until these issues are resolved, the fallout has the potential to harm patient care into the future.
Read MoreNursing Shortage With No Solution in Sight
Hospital administrators must balance the financial bottom-line with patient care safety, and it sounds like the nurses interviewed for this video work in environments where the administrators have gone off the rails.
Read MoreWhy the Pain Community Should Support Voting Rights Legislation
Disenfranchised people are in danger of losing their right to vote, and people in pain are an important constituency. Congress recently passed H.R. 4, which is a revised version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
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